A/N: Chapter 14 of REKT. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, those belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 14: A new semester

The next morning...

The air was filled with the roar of airship engines as a couple touched down on the landing pad, the doors opening to reveal a couple of soldiers from another land. High in the clock tower that was obscured by the clouds, Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda stood by the window to survey the situation with unreadable expressions on their faces.

"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels." The Huntress pointed out in a casual manner, hands crossed over her chest.

"Running an academy and a military makes him a busy man." Ozpin noted just as a swarm of airships zoomed past his line of sight and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." A small beeping appeared from a monitor on his desk and he pressed a button. "Come in."

"Ozpin." The door opened and the man known as Ironwood strode in with open arms. He was well dressed and clean; wearing a white overcoat with a gray undercoat, a black sweater accompanied with a red tie. He also happens to have a single white glove on his right hand. His hair was jet black with some areas being silver. There was also a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow.

"Please, drop the formalities." Ozpin replied as the two of them shook hands.

"It's been too long." Ironwood smiled before noticing Glynda was also in the room and held out his arms for her too. "And Glynda! It's certainly been too long since we last met."

"Oh James..." She waves her hand dismissively before bluntly stating that she will be waiting outside, walking briskly past him in a seemingly annoyed manner. The two males watched as she vanished out of sight.

"Well she hasn't changed a bit." Ironwood commented.

"So...what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" Ozpin asked as he poured his guest a drink. "Headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal festival."

"Well you know how much I love Vale this time of the year." Ironwood thanked his friend for the drink and pulling out his own special ingredient from his inner coat pocket, adding it to the liquid. "Besides, with you hosting...I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up."

"I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends..." Ozpin spoke as he sat down at his desk and poured himself a drink. "However...the small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned."

"Well...concern is what brought them here." Ironwood said bluntly.

"I understand travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult-"

"Oz..." Ironwood interrupts with a very serious tone in his voice. "You and I both know why I brought those men." The man took a sip of his drink before releasing a sigh.

"We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this-" He gestured with one hand towards the outside via the window. "are just going to give off the wrong impression."

"But if what Qrow said is true-"

"If what Qrow said is true," Ozpin interrupted him this time. "then we will handle it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival after all, a time to celebrate unity and peace. So, I suggest you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."

"I'm just being cautious." Ironwood reminded him.

"As am I..." Ozpin agreed. "Which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsman and Huntresses we can."

"Believe me, I am." Ironwood turned on his heels to leave but came to a halt in the middle of the room, gazing at his friend from over his shoulder. "But ask yourself this...Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?"

"I hope they never have to." Ozpin answered as soon as the man left.


In the library...

Beacon's library was a magnificent place for hunters and huntresses to gather and study...or this case to play board games. Ruby and her team were in the middle of an intense game called Remnant: The Game while Jaune's team sat at a different table; Ren was actually reading a book, Nora was fast asleep dreaming about food and the leader himself was reading a comic with Pyrrha sitting next to him.

"Hmmm..." Ruby made a scowling noise as she glanced at her teammates from over her cards. Mulling over a couple of words she nodded her head and made her decision. "Alright! Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

"Finally!" Her sister replied with a smirk, glaring at her sister with confidence. "Bring it on!"

"I deploy, the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby announced, causing Yang to dramatically gasp in horror. "Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!"

"You fiend!" Yang stated angrily.

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts one turn." Ruby's smile soon turned into shock as Yang let out her own chuckle.

"Pretty sneaky sis, but you've just activated my trap card!" The yellow-haired brawler stood up as she threw down her victory card. "Giant Nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two."

"But, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces." Ruby countered.

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Yang smirked before rolling. "HAH!"

"Nooooooooo!" Ruby clenched her head with anguish after looking at the number that her sister rolled. "My fearless soldiers!"

"Eh, most of them were probably androids." Yang commented as Ruby vowed for revenge. Smirking the brawler continued to reap in her rewards much to her sister's distress, the latter commenting whether her sister even had a heart before laying on the table with a whimper. "Well Weiss, it's your turn!"

"I have..." The ice princess looked at her cards for a minute before continuing. "Absolutely no idea what's going on."

"Look, it's easy!" Yang assured her, leaning over to take a look at Weiss' hand. "You're playing as Vacuo which means all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus!"

"That sounds dumb."

"See...You've got Sandstorm, Dessert Scavenge-" At this point, Yang was mixing and matching her teammate's cards for her, looking at all the possible combos. "Oh! Oh! Resourceful Raider!"

"...what?"

"See now you can take Ruby's discarded air fleet—and put it in your hand!"

"Nooooo..." The leader whined pathetically about her defeat.

"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance boost against natural hazards," Yang reached over for another card. "you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom! Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war?"

"And that means?" Weiss looked lost even though Yang thoroughly explained the strategy to her.

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby answered, causing Weiss to stand up abruptly with a maniac laugh.

"Yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces!" She proclaimed with excitement. "Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms-!"

"Trap card."

"Huh?" Weiss blinked as Yang held up another sneaky weapon she preserved specifically for that very moment.

"Your armies have been destroyed." The brawler smiled as she changed the layout of the game in the blink of an eye. "Hahaha!"

"I hate this game of emotions we play!" The ice princess wept as she sat back down with shame.

"Stay strong, Weiss." Ruby said, jumping into her teammate's lap and held onto her. "We'll make it through this together."

"Shut up!" Weiss tearfully commented before wrapping her arms around the leader in a hug. "Don't touch me!"

"Alright Blake, you're up!" Yang said after letting out a sigh from countering both Weiss and Ruby's attacks out. Thorough out the entire game, the Faunus hadn't said a single word.

"Huh?" The Faunus frowned before looking at what was in front of her. "Oh, um..." She picked up her cards and looked at them with almost the same look Weiss had. "Sorry, what am I doing?"

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant!" Ruby replied.

"Right..."

"Hey! Can I play?" Jaune asked as he walked over. Ruby told him that there were already four people playing while Weiss noted that the game requires strategy and tactical skills, one which she believes Jaune clearly does not have.

"Umm...you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Yang stated, causing the ice princess to pout.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen!" Jaune said with confidence. "I'll have you know that I've been told that I'm a natural, born leader!"

"By who?" Weiss replied teasingly. "Your mother!?"

"And Pyrrha!" Jaune said, causing the red-head to say something on the matter. "Please oh please! Let me play your hand for a turn!"

"I'm not trusting you with the citizens of Vacuo." She scowled defensively.

"Oh come on! You've trusted me with things way more secretive." He whined like a child. "I mean you told us all the fact that Blake is secretly a Fau-"

"Fun-loving person whom we all admire and respect!" Noticing where Jaune was about to go with what he was about to say, Pyrrha jumped out of her seat and rushed over, covering her leader's mouth with a hand. The boy chuckled nervously but Blake, seemingly knowing what they truly meant, only stares at the group in discontent.

"Reina I have to ask, how exactly do you see the world?" Kairos asked as we sat together, our shoulders brushing against one another. Efram was sitting not too far as Timber showed him the perks of making neat tricks with a long piece of string.

"Oh that's a funny question." I replied, closing the book I was reading and smiled. "Let me show you." Holding out my right arm, I whispered a few words and felt warmth spreading from my right shoulder blade. Slowly my Aura appeared in small wisps before becoming massive and elongated. Controlling it with precise accuracy I manipulated the threads so that they'll weave among each other, forming distinct shapes in the air. It's similar to a toy called an Etch-A-Sketch, where the entire world is the screen and my Aura were the lines.

"Oooo. This is interesting." The Faunus murmured, mesmerized by the light bluish hue. "I've never seen anything quite like this."

"And these are the people that I see." I mused as I poured some more of my Aura out, making little outlines of the huntresses or hunters in the vicinity. "Of course they're just vague outlines but that what help me distinguish animate objects from inanimate objects."

"How do you know whose who?" She asked as she tentatively used finger to poke at one of the outlines, watching with interest as her finger went right through the figure. "Heheh...it tickles."

"Let's take Ruby for example." Waving my hand I made the background disappear and held a single outline in the palm of my hand. When Ruby raised her arm the little aura figure raised the same arm as well. Concentrating hard, I slowly formed a small orb within the middle of the Aura Ruby's chest. The sphere slowly grew until it was the right size and hovered, suspended in the air. "Do you see the orb?"

"...yes." She replied almost immediately.

"Take a closer look." I advised her and I could see her peering closely at the figure. "Tell me what do you see?"

"I see...a small mark on the sphere." She told me. "It looks like the same mark on Ruby's clothing."

"Yup!" I chirped, dispelling my Aura with the wave of a hand. "This is how I can tell you guys apart. Everyone has their own little sphere with their own distinct marking." Pressing my hands together I summoned about 12 orbs with my Aura. "Each of these spheres represent everyone I've become friends with...that is, all of us right now."

"Oooo. Interesting." She reached out and grabbed the object with her hand. The once materialized sphere sat in the middle of her palm like a real ball. "It even maintains its shape. I would have assumed that your Aura would just disappear just like that."

"Neat trick right? But check this out..." With one hand, I picked up the orb and with the other hand I pulled a random book off the shelf behind me. Tapping the orb against the object, the book turned into Aura and was immediately sucked into the orb. "I can force something to turn into Aura and 'capture' it within the orb."

"Then what happens?" Kairos asked, seemingly intrigued by the idea.

"I can release it whenever I feel like it and it'd still retain its shape." I held out my arm and the little particles of Aura spilled back out of the orb and reformed into the book from earlier. "See that? I haven't tried it on any human but I have a hunch that the idea still applies...I hope to test that hypothesis out soon."

"Sup losers?" We all turned our heads to see Sun and Neptune approaching us from the library entrance, greeting us with warm smiles. "Everyone, Ice Queen..."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!" Weiss asked with a harrumph, putting her cards face-down on the table. "I'm not that cold am I?"

"I never got to formally introduce you all to my close friend." The monkey Faunus said as he grinned at the blue-haired male. "He's actually a pretty fun guy to hang out with once you get to know him."

"Umm...aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune noted when he noticed the game on the table.

"Thank you!" Ren agreed from across the room, throwing his arms up into the air. "At least someone knows what libraries are used for!"

"Pancakes!" Nora exclaimed when she woke up from her nap.

"Shut up." Sun sarcastically told his teammate with a fake scowl on his face. "Don't be freaking a nerd."

"No no, it's intellectual. Okay." The blue-haired boy corrected him. "Thank you." He turned his attention to the group and smiled. "Hi, I'm Neptune."

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" asked Weiss curiously as she looked at him.

"Haven..." Neptune replied as he walked over to greet her personally, ignoring everyone else around him. "And I don't believe...I caught your name...Snow Angel."

"Um...I'm Weiss." The ice princess replied, totally freaked out by the boy's flirtatious approach.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jaune whispered with anger as Pyrrha gave him a sympathetic look.

"Better step up your game, Jaune." I said to him and he just scowled at me in response.

"I never took you as the board-game-playing type!" Sun told Blake, looking over her shoulder at her cards.

"Right...well I think I'm done playing, actually." She agreed as she stood up, putting her cards on the table. "I'll see you guys later." The man looked after her in a confused manner before shrugging his shoulders and sat down to play.

"Women." Nora commented once the dark-haired Faunus was out of sight.

"Reina, where are you going?" Kairos asked as I closed the book and placed it back on the shelf.

"Out." was my reply and I exited the library in a flash.


Inside RWBY's room...

Blake sat on her bed alone with her knees drawn towards her chest as she replayed the events that occurred in the shipyard through her mind, every sound and scent were vividly clear as if they were yesterday.

"Well, this certainly has been an eventful evening." Ozpin's voice floated through her ears as she recalled her meeting with the professor after the battle had ended. The two of them were in one of those interrogation rooms where they could talk alone. "I'm sure that after a night of thwarting attempted robbery you probably just want to go home and take a nap, but..." The man pulled a chair back and sat down across from her, his mug in hand. "I was hoping that maybe we could have a chance to talk."

"Of course."

"Wonderful! As you know, in order to enroll at my academy, students must first pass a rigorous entrance exam." Ozpin explained to her. "Most applicants spend years of preparation training at one of the many combat schools around the world...You are one of the few who did not. And you passed the exam with flying colors."

"I was raised outside the kingdoms." Blake replied. "If you can't fight, you can't survive."

"Well you have most certainly survived, Blake." Ozpin praised her on that note. "I admire your drive. And I am proud to run a school that accepts individuals from all walks of life." He reached for his mug before continuing, "Rich, poor, human..." He paused and gazed at her from behind his glasses, taking a sip of his drink as well. "...Faunus." Blake's eyes narrowed when he said the term.

"Why do you wear that bow, Blake?" The silver-haired professor asked her as he placed his mug back on the table. "Why hide who you are?"

"You may be willing to accept the Faunus, Professor Ozpin, but your species is not." replied the dark-haired girl.

"True...but we are continuing to take strides to lessen the divide."

"With all due respect, you need to start taking some larger strides..." Blake scoffed, holding back from lacing her voice full of scorn and disappointment. "Until that happens, I'd rather avoid any unnecessary attention. I want people to see me for who I am...not what I am."

"And what are you?" The man asked.

"I...I don't understand what you're asking." She replied hesitantly, taken aback from the question.

"How did you know that the White Fang would be at the shipyard tonight?" He restated his question differently.

"I didn't...I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"You wouldn't have been the first...but what happened tonight was not an isolated incident." said Ozpin as he gazed at his student. "I may be your headmaster, but I am also a Huntsman...And it is my sworn duty to protect this world from the forces that conspire against it."

…..Professor...The Faunus stared at the man with piercing golden orbs, cataloging every word within her mind so she may reflect upon them later.

"Blake..." Ozpin's eyes narrowed slightly, watching how she'll respond to his next question carefully. "Are you sure there's nothing else you would like to tell me?"

"I'm sure..." She replied with a confident nod.

"Very well." Ozpin rose from his chair, walking staff and mug in both hands. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Belladonna. If you ever need to talk to me...please don't hesitate to ask."

Tap~ Tap~ Tap~

"Hmm?" Jolting out of her thoughts the Faunus looked up to see that I was crouched outside the window, rapping my knuckles against the glass loud enough for her ears to pick up.

"Hiya Blake!" I said when she opened the window, tiling my head to the side with a smile. "What's the matter? You seem so...distracted."

"...it's nothing." She assured me but I knew she just didn't want to tell me.

"...riiight." I drawled out, not believing her words for a minute . "Listen Blake, there's no need to keep everything bottled up inside. Tell me what's eating you."

"I just...don't want anyone to be...bothered by my problems." She replied curtly. "Now if that's all that you wanted to say to me then you may show yourself the door. Or you know...you can just go back the way you came."

"Hmmm...How about a drink? My treat." I offered and she smiled softly in response. Stepping to the side, I watched her step out and closed the window behind us. The cold air swirled past us as we went to the cafe just down the street. As luck would have it, business wasn't too tight so as I ordered, the Faunus decided to get herself comfortable and sat outside on a patch of grass. I came back with two cups in my hand and held one out to her. "I wasn't sure what you liked so I took an educated guess."

"Mmmm. Black coffee, my favorite." She smiled after taking a sip. "Thanks."

"Oh good, glad you liked it." I settled down next to her, taking a sip of my own drink. "Just the right temperature."

"Why did you bring me out here?" Blake asked as we sat comfortably on the grass, her golden eyes boring into me as if she was trying to fish the answers out of my brain. "I'm sure it wasn't for pleasantries...or getting to know each other better..."

"I actually do want to know more about you Blake." I replied. "You are just so mysterious to me...what were you like when you were young?"

"...why do you want to know?" She asked cautiously.

"...just out of curiosity." I replied and felt a huge wave of protectiveness and repelling Aura radiating off of her body. It was so strong that it knocked me over and I landed flat on my back. "...Woah..."

"S-Sorry, I'm just...a bit defensive when it comes...to my past." She apologized as I got back into a sitting position.

"Is there a reason you're hesitant about talking about your childhood?" I asked her as I held my cup within my hands. "Isn't it better for you to trust your friends and tell them how you actually feel? Like I said, it's not good for you to bottle your emotions inside your body. You have people here that will be willing to shoulder your burdens with you."

"Reina...let me try something."

"Hmm?" I felt her move closer and her fingers lightly touched my face; she soon had her hand over my eyes. She's...so warm! "Blake, what kind of exercise is this?"

"When you can't see the truth, or you're wondering what is the guy in front of you, enemy or friends..." The dark-haired Faunus told me in her monotonous way, keeping her hand over my eyes. "People often feel fear at this moment, and fear leads to disaster...now you're surrounded by darkness. How are you feeling?"

"...mmm...pretty normal actually." I replied in a casual manner like it wasn't something for her to be concerned about.

"Aren't you afraid?" Blake asked, intrigued by my response. "Do you feel anything?"

"Blake..." I lowered her hand and just held it lightly within my own. "I want you to do something. Wave you hand back and forth in front of my face." She did just that for about a few minutes and in my mind I saw the movement. "Now...calmly trace your fingers over my eyes."

"Reina, I don't see the purpose..."

"Just do it." I felt her fingers hesitantly glide across my eyelids, lightly brushing the skin in a tender way. After a few minutes the fingers retracted back to their owner. "Now...do you realize why I asked you to do those tasks? Why I responded the way I did?"

"Because...!" I could sense that her eyes widen with surprise as she stared at me. "You're...blind. And your eyes..."

"That's right...I am blind." I replied as I took a sip of my drink. "But I am able to see everything and visualize my surroundings by means of my Mind's Eye."

"Does...anyone know about your condition...?" She asked me in a hushed whisper.

"I have a sneaking suspicion that Ruby perhaps knows but other than that...I'm not sure who else does." I told her before tilting my head to the side in thought. "Oh...maybe Jaune..."

"Reina...what is your purpose of coming to Beacon?" Blake asked me.

"I can't tell you yet...or any of the others for that matter..." I stood up and threw away my empty cup into the trashcan. "When the time is right...maybe I'll tell you about my past. But in return, I hope that you can tell us about your past as well." Blake smiled at me softly as she threw away her own cup.

"It's a deal."


Back inside the dorm...

When we returned back to school and Blake bid farewell to me in front of her room, she was thankful that she came back way before her other three teammates. She just got herself comfortable on her bed before the door swung open and Weiss, Ruby and Yang sauntered in.

"Ugh! We should have never let him play!" The yellow-haired vixen was complaining to her sister about how they lost their game to Neptune, a scowl on her face. "I almost got him but he pulled that accursed trap card on me at the last minute!"

"You're just mad that the new guy beat you." Ruby teased as she watched her sister roll her eyes with annoyance. "See if you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened."

"So where did you run off to this time?" Weiss asked as she stood before Blake, arms crossed over her chest. "Lately you've been quiet, anti-social and moody."

"Uh...have you met Blake?" questioned Yang before getting a stink-eye from the ice princess. "I'm just saying."

"Which I get, is kind of your 'thing'. But you've been doing it more than usual, which quite frankly , is unacceptable." Weiss continued as she held Blake's attention, gazing at the golden orbs with a look of worry. "You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong."

When did Weiss become the caring type...? The Faunus mused to herself but her facial expression didn't change one bit.

"So Blake Belladonna!" The ice princess did some very flashy and overly dramatic moves to the point where she ended up standing on a chair, finger pointed directly at Blake's face. "What! Is! Wrong?!" She failed her arms a bit to keep her balance before putting the chair back much to her embarrassment.

"I just..." Blake took a deep breath before telling them what had been on her mind for awhile. "I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"You're still thinking about Torchwick, aren't you." Ruby spoke softly.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it!" The dark-haired girl exclaimed. "Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"

"Ozpin told us not to worry." Yang assured her with a smile. "Between the police and the Huntsman, I'm sure they can handle it."

"Well I'm not!" Blake argued. "They don't know the White Fang like I do!" The other three gazed at each other with knowing looks.

"Okay, between blowing up night clubs-thanks Yang for that- stopping thieves..."

"You're welcome!" Ruby interrupted but Weiss ignored her.

"...and fighting for freedom, which you're doing Blake, I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells..."

"Uh...who?" Ruby questioned.

"But let me bet the voice of reason..."

"You're doing such a good job at that..." Blake stated sarcastically.

"Hush Blake. I'm speaking." Weiss chastised her. "We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation."

"Speak for yourself Weiss." replied Yang who cracked her knuckles with glee. "I'm always excited for new adventures!"

"Yeah!" Ruby chirped in agreement with her sister. "As Penny would say, 'We're combat ready!'."

"You dolts!" The ice princess spat at them with mild frustration. "We're. Not. Ready!"

"And we may never be ready!" exclaimed Blake with worry. "Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around on their asses and wait for graduation day! They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not."

" Okay!" Ruby clapped her hands together with glee. "All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale single-handedly..." She paused for dramatic effect. "...say 'Aye'!"

"Yes!" Yang exclaimed as she did a fist pump. "I love it when you're feisty!"

"Well, I suppose it could be fun." Weiss decided as she thought about it to herself.

"Non of you said 'Aye'..." Ruby pouted while Blake glanced at them with a smile on her face.

"Alright then...we're in this together."

"Let's hatch a plan!"

"Yeah!"

"Argh!" Ruby exclaimed with horror much to everyone's confusion, putting both of her hands against her head. "I left my board game in the library!"

"We're doomed." Weiss commented, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. Shouting that she'd be right back, the red-caped girl dashed out of the room at astonishing speed before bumping into somebody and fell to the ground with a yelp.

"Sorry..." She apologized as she looked up at the person she ran into with an innocent expression. "Are...you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just watch where you're going next time." Emerald said as she helped Ruby to her feet. Mercury just huffed to the side but kept his expression as neutral as possible.

"I'm Ruby by the way. Are you...new?" She looked at them with curious eyes.

"Visiting from Haven, actually." Emerald stepped to the side to make room for Cinder who approached the first year.

"Oooooh!" Ruby nodded her head with excitement. "You're here for the festival I presume!"

"You could say that, I guess." Cinder chuckled.

"Oh, but exchange students have their own dormitory."

"I guess we just got turned around." Mercury commented in a drawl, indicating that he didn't want to stay very long.

"Don't worry, happens all the time!" Ruby told them as they parted ways. "Uh, your building is just east of here."

"Thanks." Cinder replied as she followed after Emerald and Mercury. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah maybe. Welcome to Beacon!" said Ruby as she waved them off. "They seem to be very nice transfers..."

The water's a bit warmer than usual...A bit too warm for my taste...I mused to myself as I walked down the hall with a towel over my head. As I rounded the corner I felt three strange auras coming towards me and I kept my head down to avoid eye contact. When the distance shortened between us I sensed a malicious aura radiating from the person in the middle and came to a sharp halt.

"Hey, don't stand in the middle of the hall." A male's voice spoke gruffly as the three people stood before me. "You're blocking the road."

"Mercury!" A female's voice spoke, scolding the man for his harsh tone. "Don't be so rude."

"Now now." Another voice drawled. "We shouldn't cause so much ruckus in the hallway."

She's the one...I took note of the presence standing right in front of me. What is it about her that's making me nervous?

"Do you...need something from me?" The female asked me. "You're looking at me curiously."

"...no..." I replied and stood off to the side with my head bowed. "Excuse me."

"That's what I thought." Mercury snorted before walking off with Emerald on his heels.

"...you...you're an interesting person..." Cinder spoke as she looked at me with an calculating gaze. "Very interesting..."

"Uh...thanks?" I replied confusedly and felt slender fingers trailing down my cheek. In my mind, I watched as the woman leaned close to whisper in my ear.

"I have a feeling that we'll definitely meet again." She spoke in a low voice, her eyes flashed for a minute. "Perhaps...sooner than you think."

"W-What are you talking about?" I breathed as she stepped away from me.

"Good night sweetheart." She laughed before walking away down the hall with a soft chuckle.

That woman...I frowned with concern, my gaze focused on Cinder's retreating backside till she turned the corner and disappeared out of sight. There's obviously something suspicious about that group...her in particular...I have to stay on the tip of my toes from now on.